State police take over Royal Oak Township patrols

ROYAL OAK TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) — An impoverished Detroit suburb is getting its police service from Michigan State Police starting Friday.
State police say the Oakland County sheriff’s department is closing its substation that previously served Royal Oak Township.
State police say troopers will patrol the community of 2,400 bordering Detroit and also will provide detective and other police services.
The Metro State Police Post in Oak Park also is the primary law enforcement agency for Oakland County’s Novi Township and for Macomb County’s Armada, Bruce, Ray and Richmond townships.
The U.S. Census says that Royal Oak Township’s average household had an income of about $24,000 in 2010, compared with Michigan’s average of about $45,000. Its government finances have been under state review because of pension funding issues.